Bitten by the British car bug! Triumph TR6

[Ed Luddy]

Owned one of these a very long time ago. The opportunity came up 2 weeks ago for an charity/ estate auction on a 1972 TR6. My dealer friend bid on it for me. (Gee thanks, I think!) So now I'm back in the project car phase again, bollocks!

 Been sitting for a very long time but fortunately it was stored semi proper. Gas drained, battery removed, kept inside, etc. But over time it was left alone. The big bonus on a TR6 is if it has original tin and frame. The previous owner had this car oil sprayed heavily before it was put away. Haven't seen one this solid (but oily) in Canada since the late 70's.

 I took the spare tire out expecting to see rust and only found original paint and plenty of oil and grease over a factory trunk pan. Have removed the sparks and put Marvel Mystery in the cylinders for a few days. I can turn it by the belt a bit but need to get it up in the air for oil change, etc.

[JohnS25]

I’m jealous 

[Marty Roth]

Wow !

Congrats on your TR score.

That is about as solid as one could imagine,

and shouldn't be all that difficult to bring back

[3macboys]

Congrats and great local support for them!  I keep looking at my friend's that's stored in my place and thinking well I do have the keys to it....

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Awesome!!  We owned this TR-6 for 5 or 6 years in the late 80s and loved it!!  One of the most fun to drive cars I ever owned.  Well documented and supported cars with a great club network.  Join the Vintage Triumph Register and maybe more important, 6 Pack which is a TR-6 club.

 

If you want to annoy any neighbors fit an ANSA exhaust system, looks great but very loud! 😁 😁

[1912Staver]

Looks quite good. One thing to be aware of on these is the crankshaft thrust washers. The rear one { the one that takes the load every time you step on the clutch } can become worn and fall out of place. Then you have metal to metal contact between the crank and the block every time you step on the clutch. An expensive mess caused by a $20.00 part. I ran into this quite a bit back in the 1980's when I was a British car mechanic. I always change the thrust washers when I buy a TR6 or TVR { uses the same engine }. Cheap insurance. Most of the ones that came into the shop I worked at with failed bearings were less than 100,000 miles, often 70,000 - 80,000 . TR 6 engines use thrust bearings quite unlike normal U.S. made engine practice. Look at a diagram and you will see what I am talking about. Google has tons of information, a well known problem. And easy to fix if you don't let things get too worn. Good Parts have much improved ones for not very much money. Everything Good Parts sells is very high quality. A big improvement on original Triumph quality.

Edited February 10 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

15 minutes ago, Marty Roth said:

Wow !

Congrats on your TR score.

That is about as solid as one could imagine,

and shouldn't be all that difficult to bring back

Thanks Marty! I sure hope so!

[Ed Luddy]

6 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

Looks quite good. One thing to be aware of on these is the crankshaft thrust washers. The rear one { the one that takes the load every time you step on the clutch } can become worn and fall out of place. Then you have metal to metal contact between the crank and the block every time you step on the clutch. An expensive mess caused by a $20.00 part. I ran into this quite a bit back in the 1980's when I was a British car mechanic. I always change the thrust washers when I buy a TR6 or TVR { uses the same engine }. Cheap insurance. Most of the ones that came into the shop I worked at with failed bearings were less than 100,000 miles, often 70,000 - 80,000 . TR 6 engines use thrust bearings quite unlike normal U.S. made engine practice. Look at a diagram and you will see what I am talking about. Google has tons of information, a well known problem. And easy to fix if you don't let things get too worn.

Good to know. I'll look into that, thanks!

[Ed Luddy]

8 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Awesome!!  We owned this TR-6 for 5 or 6 years in the late 80s and loved it!!  One of the most fun to drive cars I ever owned.  Well documented and supported cars with a great club network.  Join the Vintage Triumph Register and maybe more important, 6 Pack which is a TR-6 club.

 

If you want to annoy any neighbors fit an ANSA exhaust system, looks great but very loud! 😁 😁

Thanks Steve. I'll skip the exhaust as it already has some big pipes on it and I like being the quiet guy in the crowd!

[Ed Luddy]

It's quite dirty and the soft top is toast. Rear bumper can be saved, front...... maybe, maybe not. The dark spots are oil seeping out not crusty rusty!

[Ed Luddy]

Have the tach out and dash loose to address some issues. Car was repainted a long time ago. Trunk pic with spare removed and orig. colour under that area. Oily, dirty and greasy but factory metal with the dark blue original paint. The spare tire is a Michelin X redline. Also has the factory leather strap for the tire change tools. The "orange" is the primer in the trunk.

Edited February 10 by Ed Luddy
add note (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

The Roadster Factory has always been my choice for Triumph parts { that is the things that Good Parts does not supply } but they recently had a catastrophic fire and who knows what will happen with them. Moss motors has lots of parts, but most of it is offshore made and of suspect quality. I hope The Roadster Factory gets back on its feet soon. They were really great .

[vintage1]

Have fun with your TR project. I have a 1974 TR6, they are a lot of fun to drive. Another good source for parts is Rimmer Brothers in England, they have almost everything and the shipping cost is not bad with a Fedex economy shipping they use and the parts arrive in about a week. 

[Ed Luddy]

40 minutes ago, 3macboys said:

Congrats and great local support for them!  I keep looking at my friend's that's stored in my place and thinking well I do have the keys to it....

Thank you! This one was bought very close to Innerkip. East London to be exact.

[Ed Luddy]

Trunk pic. This is what made me breathe a sigh of relief. British steel not bondo and pop rivet patches!  Growing up in eastern Canada as part of the British Commonwealth and having plenty of English folks and their cars in our neighbourhood these cars were never really considered "Foreign" to us. But man did they rust!  Being on the edge of the very salty Atlantic Ocean in Nova Scotia after a long damp, briney trip across the pond from Old Blighty, then sitting on the docks in Halifax made the rust bleed thru. So for me this car is incredible.

[Ed Luddy]

11 minutes ago, vintage1 said:

Have fun with your TR project. I have a 1974 TR6, they are a lot of fun to drive. Another good source for parts is Rimmer Brothers in England, they have almost everything and the shipping cost is not bad with a Fedex economy shipping they use and the parts arrive in about a week. 

Thanks for the info!

[Bob Giles]

I live close to the Roadster Factory. They say they’re coming back. 

[Laughing Coyote]

Looks like a nice one. I've always liked the body style and portions on them. Have fun!

[John Bloom]

I have never owned one but I have had several British roadsters, and I have spent quite a bit of time around TR6’s, to include helping a friend restore one 30 years ago.  I am currently without a British Roadster (sigh).  The TR6 is on my short list should I “step back into the water”.....

 

Congratulations, and I look forward to you sharing some of the fun and trials as you bring her back to life.   
 

it is still early February, I think with some new purchase enthusiasm, weekends with and agenda of what needs attention and a “little bit of cash”, you are looking at enjoying the summer with some top down Triumph touring.

 

[Littlestown Mike]

Incredibly good condition.  You are making a lot of people jealous--but happy at the same time for saving another one.

 

[hook]

10 hours ago, Ed Luddy said:

Owned one of these a very long time ago. The opportunity came up 2 weeks ago for an charity/ estate auction on a 1972 TR6. My dealer friend bid on it for me. (Gee thanks, I think!) So now I'm back in the project car phase again, bollocks!

 Been sitting for a very long time but fortunately it was stored semi proper. Gas drained, battery removed, kept inside, etc. But over time it was left alone. The big bonus on a TR6 is if it has original tin and frame. The previous owner had this car oil sprayed heavily before it was put away. Haven't seen one this solid (but oily) in Canada since the late 70's.

 I took the spare tire out expecting to see rust and only found original paint and plenty of oil and grease over a factory trunk pan. Have removed the sparks and put Marvel Mystery in the cylinders for a few days. I can turn it by the belt a bit but need to get it up in the air for oil change, etc.

I had 2 Healey's, a TR3 and a TR4 and a Jaguar. Loved them, but you better get the most important spare part.

 

 

[Ed Luddy]

Gotta get one of these stickers. I remember a very attractive lady with a white TR^ years ago had this one.

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

All Lucas, general quality jokes aside in the 5 or 6 years we had ours I had to replace thr alternator which happens, and nothing else electrical.  Drove it all over New England and upstate NY.  It was a really dependable car.   

 

Guy who bought it did a full restoration and it came out really nice.  

 

Once in a while a one owner car with very low miles will hit the market.  Really, really good examples were around $20k not too long ago.  I think they are a bit more now.

 

 

[hook]

24 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

All Lucas, general quality jokes aside in the 5 or 6 years we had ours I had to replace thr alternator which happens, and nothing else electrical.  Drove it all over New England and upstate NY.  It was a really dependable car.   

 

Guy who bought it did a full restoration and it came out really nice.  

 

Once in a while a one owner car with very low miles will hit the market.  Really, really good examples were around $20k not too long ago.  I think they are a bit more now.

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by hook
left out (see edit history)

[Gunsmoke]

Nice find and so much potential. Bought one "brand spanking new" in same dark blue right off the ship at Autoport in Halifax NS (importing facility) thru the local British Leyland dealer in spring 1970, $3600 Canadian without a radio. Such a great driver, and so much fun for 9 months every year. However as a recent U graduate, only had one car, so driving it in winter took it's toll, and within 6 years it was toast. Sold it as parts car in 1979. On the lookout for a good one, but they are getting pricey.

[zepher]

Congrats on the new TR6.

 

Back in the mid 80's I got to drive one for an entire summer, that my uncle owned.

Amazingly fun car to drive.

Not a ton of power but it feels like it is glued to the ground going around a corner.

And that factory exhaust note is pure perfection. 

[Ed Luddy]

5 hours ago, Gunsmoke said:

Nice find and so much potential. Bought one "brand spanking new" in same dark blue right off the ship at Autoport in Halifax NS (importing facility) thru the local British Leyland dealer in spring 1970, $3600 Canadian without a radio. Such a great driver, and so much fun for 9 months every year. However as a recent U graduate, only had one car, so driving it in winter took it's toll, and within 6 years it was toast. Sold it as parts car in 1979. On the lookout for a good one, but they are getting pricey.

Thanks! Some of Brit Leyland cars at the Halifax Autoport would sit for a few months right there on the edge of the very salty Atlantic. Gave them a head start on rusting out! Yes they have gotten pricey in the last few years. You really have to check them over for rust repairs not done properly, at least here in Canada. A few for sale locally have had several patch n' paint jobs over the last 5 decades and they are still asking in the $15,000 range. I can only hope selling my far too trusty Miata for a vintage garage find TR6 isn't too foolish!

[Ed Luddy]

4 hours ago, zepher said:

Congrats on the new TR6.

 

Back in the mid 80's I got to drive one for an entire summer, that my uncle owned.

Amazingly fun car to drive.

Not a ton of power but it feels like it is glued to the ground going around a corner.

And that factory exhaust note is pure perfection. 

Thanks. Yes they are a hoot to summer drive and I found the inline 6 has much better torque than the other 4 cylinder  competitors.

[TAKerry]

Good Deal! I really like the looks of those cars. My brother bought a spitfire new, when it ran it ran great! There is a term I recently learned about FPFQ. Falling Price, Falling Quality. Great application for someone that buys that 10 year old benz,bmw,etc. for a song then realizes that twice what was spent to buy the car needs to be inserted into the slot to keep it on the road, hence the falling quality. I think the opposite is in play with these cars. New (at least in my brothers case) they were suspect at best. Over the years this car has lost nothing in the styling dept. and the mechanical/electrical shortcomings can or have been corrected to have a decent car. 

[1912Staver]

Very true indeed in the case of cars like my S2 Lotus Europa. Really built down to a price, Chapman was like Henry Ford, always looking for ways to save a few more pennies during manufacturing. Much of the mechanical end of the car is very " bottom of the barrel ". When I bought mine in 1978 it was all of 9 years old and was on its fourth engine { Renault 1600}. Something like 41,000 miles since new.

 So cars like Europa's end up being very flawed in original form. These days there is tons of interest in them, the basic concept has lots of merit. 

 But the best ones out there now have complete aftermarket chassis assemblies { Spyder, Banks, and similar } and Toyota 4a-ge engines. Transforms the car into something you can actually use without having a tow truck follow you around wherever you go.

Edited February 11 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

6 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

Good Deal! I really like the looks of those cars. My brother bought a spitfire new, when it ran it ran great! There is a term I recently learned about FPFQ. Falling Price, Falling Quality. Great application for someone that buys that 10 year old benz,bmw,etc. for a song then realizes that twice what was spent to buy the car needs to be inserted into the slot to keep it on the road, hence the falling quality. I think the opposite is in play with these cars. New (at least in my brothers case) they were suspect at best. Over the years this car has lost nothing in the styling dept. and the mechanical/electrical shortcomings can or have been corrected to have a decent car. 

Thanks. Yes these were really poorly built and a total PITA to own when new or slightly used. The one's that are left now have had 50 years to get sorted out. I'll be getting further into the mechanical side of it later in the week. For now the engine has the spark plugs out and Marvel oil soaking. It turns over by hand on the pulleys so I'm optimistic. Wiring looks to be intact, so far. 

[JamesR]

Congratulations on your very cool new sports car, Ed. It looks very very promising condition-wise, and the TR6 might be the best looking TR sports car, ever. (No small deal considering they ALL looked great.)

[MikeC5]

Nice find!  Beautiful car.

[Glen Andrews]

On 2/10/2024 at 5:35 AM, John Bloom said:

I have never owned one but I have had several British roadsters, and I have spent quite a bit of time around TR6’s, to include helping a friend restore one 30 years ago.  I am currently without a British Roadster (sigh).  The TR6 is on my short list should I “step back into the water”.....

 

Congratulations, and I look forward to you sharing some of the fun and trials as you bring her back to life.   
 

it is still early February, I think with some new purchase enthusiasm, weekends with and agenda of what needs attention and a “little bit of cash”, you are looking at enjoying the summer with some top down Triumph touring.

John: Isn't this the logo used on Triumph motorcycles up to around 1979; which those were something else from England, had a '58 650 single carb back in 1968, and then a '68 650 Bonneville in the early 70's, would like to have one again! Started out with TR3's in the late 60's into the early 70's, would like to have another one; once had a '69 TR6, and a TR6 would be a nice addition if I had room; so congrats to ED LUDDY on his recent find with this TR6, Enjoy!

 

 

[John Bloom]

19 minutes ago, Glen Andrews said:

 

Glenn , I think you are right. Sorry I was lazy. I was going to post this instead but I thought perhaps it ended with the TR3 use.

 

 

 

 

Not that there’s anything wrong with triumph motorcycles, I love those too!

 

 

[Ed Luddy]

Thanks to all for your encouragement!  Will post more pic's this week as progress is made.

[zepher]

Enjoy the process of getting her back in shape and most of all enjoy driving it.

 

I once asked my uncle if he ever thought of putting a roll bar in his TR6.

His reply was, "Nope, if you go around a corner in that car fast enough to flip it over, you deserve to die".  

[michaelmackay]

On 2/10/2024 at 6:37 AM, Ed Luddy said:

Owned one of these a very long time ago. The opportunity came up 2 weeks ago for an charity/ estate auction on a 1972 TR6. My dealer friend bid on it for me. (Gee thanks, I think!) So now I'm back in the project car phase again, bollocks!

 Been sitting for a very long time but fortunately it was stored semi proper. Gas drained, battery removed, kept inside, etc. But over time it was left alone. The big bonus on a TR6 is if it has original tin and frame. The previous owner had this car oil sprayed heavily before it was put away. Haven't seen one this solid (but oily) in Canada since the late 70's.

 I took the spare tire out expecting to see rust and only found original paint and plenty of oil and grease over a factory trunk pan. Have removed the sparks and put Marvel Mystery in the cylinders for a few days. I can turn it by the belt a bit but need to get it up in the air for oil change, etc.

Sony VGN-A600 [146/269] Using a microphone to record sound

Hello. About to purchase a TR6 1976 with about 34000 miles. Car looks ok from pictures. Seller wants $3000 for the car is that a good price? Body looks good screwy dashboard made of cedar. Supposedly daily driver. Anything I need to be aware of, deal breakers? It's a bit of a drive to go see it. He has all parts, clean title... I had a GT6 when I was 18 so I do have some time in one. I am 65 now though I have no idea where the time went. Thanks in advance

[1912Staver]

Lots of things can and will go wrong with them. But as long as the car is reasonably rust free repairs are just time and money. If you owned a GT6 you probably already have an idea of what ownership involves. TR6's have better gear boxes and rear ends than a GT 6 but still on the weak side. The frames break where the rear end mounts hang from. But not a huge job to fix. Same where the front lower control arm bolts to the frame, the bracket is weak and fractures over time , later cars this bracket is stronger and fails less often. U bracket where rear trailing arm bolts to the frame sometimes fails. None of these problems are a huge job to repair, but it will give you a bit of excitement when it happens plus a tow home.

 Rust is the only true deal killer unless you are looking for a parts car.

 I have owned these since 1976, and also worked as a British car mechanic for a number of years , late 1970's , early 1980's. Not the best British car but far from the worst. Parts availability is good. Parts prices are not too bad. And they are pretty easy to work on. 

 $3000.00 is very cheap in todays market. Almost what most people think a parts car is worth. I would have a really good look at every inch of it, unless you want a parts car you could be buying someone else's trouble.

Really good ones are up to 10 times that price.

Edited February 13 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

20 hours ago, michaelmackay said:

Hello. About to purchase a TR6 1976 with about 34000 miles. Car looks ok from pictures. Seller wants $3000 for the car is that a good price? Body looks good screwy dashboard made of cedar. Supposedly daily driver. Anything I need to be aware of, deal breakers? It's a bit of a drive to go see it. He has all parts, clean title... I had a GT6 when I was 18 so I do have some time in one. I am 65 now though I have no idea where the time went. Thanks in advance

See what "1912 Staver" has  added. He has a far more knowledgeable opinion than I. The only thing I can add is $3000 is dirt cheap for one of these. Parts car price!